Opened on Clerkenwell Green in 1967, when the area was known as Little Italy, Scotti’s Snack Bar hasn’t changed much in the intervening decades – a true time warp of a place filled with Formica, old photos and an even older water boiler, plus plenty of cabbies amongst the regulars. The escalope sandwich has become the Scotti’s signature (with the chicken always fried fresh) but there are other options on the menu – which isn’t on the wall, proprietor Al will just tell you the options.
Photo credit: Thinkingfood247
"If you lament the Pret-isation of London’s sandwich bars, this Clerkenwell institution—it’s been on the same site for over 50 years—backs up your argument. Order the sandwich of your dreams and watch it being prepared in front of you."
When they opened Dragonfly Cafe in 2015, Ben and Jenny, a couple from northern Vietnam, wanted to bring street food from their home to London, and over a decade, they’ve built a real local fave. The menu is filled with Vietnamese classics, including summer rolls, pho, bun bo hue, bun cha, chicken curry, and caramel pork belly. And if you’re in the area and looking for lunch, they have duck, grilled pork, char siu pork, chicken and fish cake banh mi – add a Vietnamese coffee and you’ll be good to go for the rest of the day.
"An independent Vietnamese takeaway serving fresh food. Fight through the delivery riders to order delicious pho, crispy spring rolls and more. You can also eat in."
There’s been a pub on this site in Clerkenwell since 1809, going through several incarnations (including The Red Lion, the Bull, Queen Boadicea, and the Blacksmith and the Toffeemaker) before reaching its current form, Dame Alice Owens. As well as a range of beers on the bar, the pub has a decent wine offering – it buys in small batches to keep it fresh – and the kitchen turns out pizzas topped with the likes of guanciale, courgette & ricotta and Turkish spiced lamb, red onion & feta.
"A friendly local pub with pizza. Sit outside on St John Street in the summer and enjoy the heat—the picnic benches become a sun trap at dusk."
Founded in 1799 by Annie Bliss and run as a company that hand-coloured maps and plans, A. Bliss was bought by Sydney Mawby post-WW1 and has remained in the family for four generations. Following the advent of economical colour printing, the business moved towards mounting and framing and as specialists in this area, they’ve worked with a range of artists and institutions as well as taking on individual personal projects, and they can do pretty much any framing or mounting technique you could want.
Photo credit: A. Bliss, artist details, Joanna Piotrowska
"Need an artwork framed? Book a consultation here for friendly advice on colour, thickness, material and mounting. Not cheap, but if you have something precious to hang on your wall get it done properly."
This family-run Exmouth Market hardware store has been serving the local community for almost a century, so you can be sure that whatever your home or DIY needs, they can help. The shop is stocked with everything from screws to gardening supplies to power tools, and the team also offer key cutting and locksmith services.
"Clear a blocked sink, replace a screw, pick up an extension lead. A rare old, original shop among the restaurants and bars of Exmouth Market, its also a satisfying Amazon antidote."
Climax was established in New York in 2020 by former Dazed editor-in-chief Isabella Burley as a seller of rare and revered books and publications. Now, with a sister branch in London, it has evolved into a cult cultural space. It may have expanded its offering into stationery and wearables, but the mission remains the same: presenting a collection of the very best – and very coolest – cultural ephemera. Stepping through the iconic pink doors, you’ll find a gold mine of film, fashion, photography and arts titles. From David Lynch retrospectives to Japanese erotica, whatever your niche, you’ll discover something new.
Photo credit: @climaxbooks
"As one favourite leaves, another arrives. Ex-Dazed magazine editor Isabella Burley has moved the London branch of her bookshop to Clerkenwell. Flick through rare books about fashion and culture, and pick up the collectible merch."
Originally opened in Clerkenwell, design-forward stationery shop Present & Correct has since moved to Bloomsbury but is still stocked with a cracking selection of pens, planners, crayons, labels and other writing and organisational ephemera. The store is owned by graphic designers and they put a lot of effort into sourcing pieces that are “inspired by homework, the post office and school”. Everything inside also has a strong aesthetic quality as well as being functional – like 1970s letter labels, serif alphabet stamps, stick diaries and shape scissors.
"This wonderful stationary shop moved to Bloomsbury a couple of years back, but it retains its honorary Clerkenwell citizenship. Diaries, organisers and greetings cards, often discovered in far flung parts go the world, sit alongside pens, pencil sharpeners and stencil kits. You’ll want it all."
Luca, from the team behind The Clove Club, serves modern Italian food using British ingredients, so there are traditional-with-a-twist pasta dishes like agnolotti cacio e pepe with short rib and spaghettini with Morecambe Bay shrimps & mace butter alongside plates like Orkney scallops with jerusalem artichoke & nduja, Cornish halibut with porcini & pancetta, and salt-baked celeriac with chanterelles. Whether you for a plate of pasta or the whole antipasti, primi, secondi, dolci route, don’t under any circumstances skip the parmesan fries. The bar at Luca is a separate and distinct space and people are encouraged to drop in and have a drink and snack, so you can still get a flavour of the place if you’re short on time.
"Special occasion klaxon… this Michelin starred Italian is a dream. Dreamy food (those parmesan fries!), comfortable surroundings, and fabulous wines. It’s smart, expensive, but unpretentious and friendly. Big birthday? Marriage proposal? This is the place."
Morito is the little sister to Moro, the Exmouth Market restaurant run by Sam and Sam Clark. The original is a tiny place that’s right next door to Moro, with a second and bigger site opening on Hackney Road in 2016. Although not solely Spanish (the menu draws influence from the Eastern Med and North Africa as well as Spain), the menus feature tapas classics like tortilla & aioli, jamon iberico, padron peppers and grilled chorizo alongside dishes like arroz negro with cuttlefish, roast pork belly with quince, and Malaga raisin ice cream, plus a strong Spainish wine list with sherries and vermouths.
"This little sister of local favourite Moro offers a noisier, more relaxed space for similar Mediterranean fare: tapas, mezze, cocktails and wine. Ideal for a delicious quick lunch or a longer evening meal, and for when Moro is booked out."
After setting up a charity for illustration in 2002 and running the House of Illustration in King’s Cross from 2014 to 2020, Sir Quentin Blake is finally opening a gallery dedicated to the art form in 2026. Taking over an 18th century waterworks in Clerkenwell, the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration will be the largest space of its kind, with three galleries showcasing the breadth and depth of illustration through regularly rotating exhibitions, plus a library, garden and cafe.
"Opening next year! The UK’s only charity supporting illustration is converting an old waterworks into an exhibition and activity space to open up the art of illustration to all-comers."
